These days smartphones play a very necessary role in our day-to-day life. From socialisation to work, it seems there's no way we can escape from the claws of the mobile phone, except from when we sleep. But for others, even that is not possible, as the constant connection with the digital world has turned from a necessity into an addiction.

If you find yourself glued to your phone 24/7 and plagued by sleepless nights, then this app from a collaboration project between ENDROLL and Shueisha may be worth taking a look at.

Yohitsuji no Mori is a sleep recording phone application that was planned and developed specifically for people who have trouble falling asleep due to too much screen time before going to bed.

The concept of the application is simple: to progress through the game, players must spend more time away from their phone screen during bedtime hours.
The application will record this data, and if the phone “downtime” has increased (more time spent away from the phone) then the player will be rewarded with the continuation of the story. If however, the player has spent the same or more time on the phone during those late night hours then it will not progress any further.

The game takes the player on a journey through a mysterious forest with a peculiar sheep named “Yoru”.
Together they decide to aim for the depths of the forest in search of a memory that is just out of reach. As they’re guided through the darkness by a curious light, they befriend fellow sheep who join in on the search for the secret of the forest.

*currently only compatible with iOS

How it works

1. Increase the sheep whilst you sleep
By recording your sleep habits with the app, every time you wake up in the morning you’ll be greeted by a new sheep that has joined your “ranch”. When you visit the “ranch” the sheep will be able to tell you your sleep record.

2. Collect music whilst you sleep
Instead of staying up late on your smartphone, why don’t you listen to soothing music instead? With Yohitsuji no Mori, you can collect new music the more you spend time away from your phone.
Additionally, as the story progresses Yoru will collect strange shells that play relaxing nature sounds that are proven to help people relax.

3. Advance the story as you sleep
A good night's sleep unlocks a new part of the story. By continuing with positive sleep habits, the player and Yoru can progress further into the woods.

Yohitsuji no Mori is the first project developed in the life hack entertainment business co-created by AR production company ENDROLL and publishing company Shueisha. This collaboration comes about as interest in the health industry soars, with the two coming together to develop ways to make healthier living “easier” and “more enjoyable”.

A beta version of the app has been trialled and tested by more than 1300 community participants from the discord server “Yortokoro”. Of these participants, 80.3% said they experienced an improvement in their sleeping habits since using the app, furthermore, 87.5% said they enjoyed the app and would like to continue using it.

Yohitsuji no Mori is available on iOS as a subscription based app. There are 3 different plans to choose from: Monthly – 480 yen
3 Monthly – 980 yen (327 yen/month)
Annual – 3,000 yen (250 yen/month)
The app is compatible with iPhone 8 or above with iOS15 and above.